Transparent electro-conductive oxides are widely used as electrodes for solar cells and flat panel displays. In particular, In.sub.2 O.sub.3 :Sn (ITO) which is manufactured with a specific conductivity as high as 10.sup.4 .OMEGA..sup.-1 cm.sup.-1, has found widespread use in various applications. Other commonly used transparent electro-conductive oxides include ZnO:Al, SnO.sub.2 :Sb, and SnO.sub.2 :F. Typically, the electrical conductivity is controlled using substitutional doping. All the aforementioned oxides have a band gap below 4 eV and thus, can not transmit ultraviolet light. Advanced technologies such as laser lithography and highly efficient solar cells, however, require electro-conductive ultraviolet light transmitting materials, and in particular, thin layers of such electro-conductive ultraviolet light transmitting materials.
For electro-conductive ultraviolet light transmitting materials, see for instance N. Ueda et al., Appl. Phys. Lett., 70, 3561 (1997) and N. Ueda et al., Appl. Phys. Lett., 71, 933 (1997), reported the use of ZnGa.sub.2 O.sub.4 and of single crystals of .beta.-Ga.sub.2 O.sub.3. ZnGa.sub.2 O.sub.4 has a band gap of 5.2 eV, however, only sintered samples were successfully doped. On the other hand, .beta.-Ga.sub.2 O.sub.3 has a band gap of 4.79 and 4.52 eV along the b and c axis of the crystal, respectively, and the band gap along the b axis increases to 5.1 eV due to band gap widening with increasing carrier concentrations. The conductivity of the Ga.sub.2 O.sub.3 crystal is controlled by changing the growth atmosphere or using substitutional Sn.sup.4+ doping; conductivities as high as 38 .OMEGA..sup.-1 cm.sup.-1 were reported.
At present, there are no methods of successfully manufacturing electro-conductive ultraviolet light transmitting thin layers. These are pivotal for advanced technologies such as laser lithography and highly efficient solar cells. Also, the introduction of donors into wide band gap materials (&gt;4 eV) is in general very difficult.
Thus what is needed is a new and improved electroconductive ultraviolet light transmitting material and method of fabrication which help overcome these problems. What is also needed is a new and improved electro-conductive ultraviolet light transmitting material. What is also needed is a new and improved electro-conductive ultraviolet light transmitting Ga.sub.2 O.sub.3 material with a metallic oxide phase. What is also needed is a new and improved electro-conductive ultraviolet light transmitting Ga.sub.2 O.sub.3 material comprising a minor component of metallic IrO.sub.2. What is also needed is a new and improved electro-conductive ultraviolet light transmitting thin oxide layer. What is also needed is a new and improved electro-conductive ultraviolet light transmitting thin oxide layer which is compatible with standard micro-electronics and opto-electronic devices and structures. What is also needed is a new and improved electro-conductive ultraviolet light transmitting thin oxide layer for advanced laser lithography and highly efficient solar cells applications. What is also needed is a new and improved electro-conductive ultraviolet light transmitting thin Ga.sub.2 O.sub.3 layer with a metallic oxide phase. What is also needed is a new and improved electro-conductive ultraviolet light transmitting thin Ga.sub.2 O.sub.3 layer comprising a minor component of metallic IrO.sub.2. What is also needed is a new and improved method of manufacturing an electroconductive ultraviolet light transmitting Ga.sub.2 O.sub.3 material or thin layer using thermal evaporation of Ga.sub.2 O.sub.3 or of a Ga.sub.2 O.sub.3 containing compound from a metal crucible. What is also needed is a new and improved method of manufacturing an electro-conductive ultraviolet light transmitting Ga.sub.2 O.sub.3 material or thin layer wherein the crucible comprises Ir.
What is also needed is a new and improved method of manufacturing an electro-conductive ultraviolet light transmitting Ga.sub.2 O.sub.3 material or thin layer using co-evaporation of a metal. What is also needed is a new and improved method of manufacturing an electro-conductive ultraviolet light transmitting Ga.sub.2 O.sub.3 material or thin layer using co-evaporation of Ir. What is also needed is a new and improved method of manufacturing an electro-conductive ultraviolet light transmitting Ga.sub.2 O.sub.3 material or thin layer which is compatible with standard micro-electronics and opto-electronic device manufacturing. What is also needed is a new and improved electro-conductive ultraviolet light transmitting material which is relatively easy to fabricate and use.